I can see the final conflict and it's now written -- the stakes have been raised. If it goes bad, everyone dies. Everyone dies horribly or worse, loses their souls. The bad guy could easily win at this point. More like, turn vicious and pull a lose-lose final strike on the world if they dare to carry out the bust. They have what they need to bust him. They have a slim chance that this can happen without blowing up everything.

It all rests on that first-chapter fellow too. He could be a real hero for one moment if he refuses to go with the program. Or he could become the greatest monster in the history of the world just by following orders without looking at the consequences. The climax really will rest on one character's decision. Sympathetic as all of the others are, important as their stories are, the story will turn on one guy either stepping up to the plate or taking the easy way out.